Boys' name · since 1880
Jim
Since 1880, U.S. Social Security records show 153,122 babies named Jim, peaking in 1959. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #227 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,128 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 153,122
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
153,122 babies have been named Jim since 1880, making it today's #3128 boys' name.
Jim has 153,122 recorded births among boys since 1880, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3128 as of the latest data, more common than 78% of boys, busiest in the 1940s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #227 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #3,128 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 153,122 born since 1880
- 1940s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Jim ranks #227 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,128 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 153,122 born since 1880, peaking in the 1940s.
- #227 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #3,128 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 153,122
- born since 1880
- 1940s
- peak decade
Jim's 153,122 recorded births place it above 99.5% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Jim compares
153,122 Top 2% higher than 98% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Jim's all-time total is 415x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Jim | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 153,122 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 5,688 | 34 | 22,252 |
Jim's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Jim's SSA record in two at 1953 and the more recent half accounts for 43% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 57%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 2024, with only 23 births recorded -- set against the 1959 peak of 5,688, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Jim popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1959)
- 5,688
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Jim popularity over time - girls
816 total births recorded since 1888 (Jim as girls' name)
Jim by decade
1940s is the heaviest window (35,632 births, 23% of the file).
1940s was Jim's strongest decade.
35,632 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 23% of all-time use.
Jim births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 3,520
1880s
3,520 births
- 1890s 2,841
1890s
2,841 births
- 1900s 2,718
1900s
2,718 births
- 1910s 5,764
1910s
5,764 births
- 1920s 10,566
1920s
10,566 births
- 1930s
1930s
20,823 births
- 1940s
1940s
35,632 births
- 1950s
1950s
26,215 births
- 1960s
1960s
33,201 births
- 1970s 6,021
1970s
6,021 births
- 1980s 2,547
1980s
2,547 births
- 1990s 1,607
1990s
1,607 births
- 2000s 962
2000s
962 births
- 2010s 506
2010s
506 births
- 2020s 199
2020s
199 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 35,632 births (23% of all-time use).
How Jim compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Jim's total volume
Jim by state
Where Jim concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 19,352 | 12.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 10,153 | 6.6% |
| #3 | Illinois | | 8,742 | 5.7% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 8,659 | 5.7% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 7,004 | 4.6% |
| #6 | Missouri | | 5,497 | 3.6% |
| #7 | Washington | | 5,352 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Oklahoma | | 4,705 | 3.1% |
19,352 of 153,122 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Jim appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Jim? ▼
Where does Jim sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Jim most popular? ▼
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What to do with Jim's data
- Jim's decade-level peak was the 1940s (35,632 total births); usage has since declined to 199 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Jims (19,352 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Jim
Nearby Names Like Jim
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Jim
Compare Jim side by side: Jim vs Jimmy Jim vs Jimmie Jim vs Jimi
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Jim
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Jim: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1959)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Jim draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.